Life Behind the Mask
by Zelda278
Summary: Skull kid shares his life before Majora's influence and how the mask corrupts him.
1. Chapter 1

Long ago I was turned into a skull kid – but that doesn't bother me now. Now, I am glad that I am a skull kid and not a stalfos. As a skull kid, I can still be a person – I can still have individuality. As a stalfos, I'd be just another monster. Many still believe I am a monster.

I remember the day I turned into a skull kid. I sat and sat day after day watching the Kokiri kids walk in and out of the forest as if it were nothing. All I had ever heard about from the forest were horror stories – kids getting lost, kids not returning. People dying. But there they were, walking in and out like it never even bothered them. I needed to see it for myself.

I got up and walked into the woods, grinning at how easy it was going to be.

It wasn't.

Only feet inside the foods, fear overwhelmed by body. My lips became dry as I felt my heart race and beat harder and harder against my chest. Shaking my head, I turned and ran from where entered the woods.

I didn't leave the woods. I was only met with more.

I ran. Ran as fast as I could in every direction that was physically possible but still there seemed to be no exit. Feeling the stitch in my side from running too long, I dropped to my knees and felt tears drip down my face. As the tear dripped from my chin, I burst into tears.

Shaking, I whipped my tears away with the back of my hand before curling them into a fist and putting them on my knees, screaming into the sky for help. No one came. No one was going to come. Light headed and stomach weak from hunger, I fell to the ground. The world around me went blank.

I opened my eyes – I don't know how much later – and felt refreshed. I wasn't tired. I wasn't hunger. I wasn't weak. I was me. Smiling, I stood and looked around. I _knew _my way around the woods. I knew where I came from was just over there, but _how_?

Confused, I kept walking away from where I entered, intrigued to explore more of the woods. Mesmerized by the trees, I didn't notice the tree root sticking from the ground and I tripped, hitting the ground hard. Wincing, I pushed up. That's when I noticed my hands.

They were covered in these weird … straw-like … gloves that I hadn't had before. I looked down at myself. My clothes were changed. On my chest was a red jumper with a straw collar. Feeling my legs itch, I kicked my legs out – more straw. Scared, I searched for water.

Slowly walking to a small stream, I glanced in and jumped back in shock, falling to the ground. Breathing heavy and supporting myself with the palms of my hands, I spun around and crawled to the stream. With my mouth dropped, I stared. Not believing it, I brought my hands to my face. It was as if I were a … scare crow.

No, not a scare crow.

I heard the stories. I heard the legends. Now I was living them. I was a skull kid.

I couldn't return to my home, not like this. I didn't belong there anymore. Not sure how I was going to take this all, I got up and walked away, searching for any other sign of life. The further I walked, the clearer moving trees became.

How would trees walk? They had to be trees, there is no man that big. Then again, there was no trees that color. I had to find out what they were. I stared so long, my eyes burned, but I still walked towards the moving trees.

The closer I got, the higher I looked up and the sooner I realized that they were not trees. They looked like deku nuts sitting on top of large sticks, but the back of them was full of what appeared to be gray hair. The largest creature I ever seen before was a Goron, but these were much bigger.

Feet away from them, I felt like a pebble. They towered over everything around them and their feet was longer than I was tall. Amazed, I stared at them, unable to take my eyes away. I snapped into reality when I saw their bodies move and bend down to me.

There were four of them and they asked me if I needed a friend. I never really had a friend before so I shook my head yes. Giants, they called their selves, and there were four of them. They were the four giants.


	2. Chapter 2

Their arms were so long that even as they towered over me, I could barely reach their fingers when I reached my hands up to them, standing on the tips of my toes. When they saw that I was alone, they took me in immediately as their friend. I couldn't've been happier.

"Where are you from?" Their voices echoed in almost a song.

"The land beyond the forest." I replied, looking behind me. It is true that I did once live beyond the woods, but now I live in them. As a skull kid, this is my home now.

"We are also from beyond the forest." They said in a whisper, but their whispered still bellowed through my ear.

"I didn't know there was any more land other than the forest." I scratched my head.

"But of course there is." One giant said. "Actually, I guess you could say our lands are _within _the forest, but it is a whole world beyond."

"I don't understand…" I said slowly, trying to take in their words.

"To get to our world, you must be within the forest." Another giant said. "But once you get to our lands, it is a world outside the forest."

"That makes no sense." I shook my head.

"That is what makes it so unique." A giant said as he placed his palm on my head, his fingers draping over my face.

"Who are you giants anyways?" I questioned. "I didn't think giants exist."

"Can you see us now, little one?" The giants said as I rubbed the back of my neck from staring up at them for too long.

"Unless I have gone insane from the woods, then yes, I can see you." I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Then we exist." They nodded down at me.

"Yes, but who are you?" I wanted to know, no I _needed_ to know. How had I lived my whole life not knowing that these giants exist? How haven't I seen them before when they stand taller than the trees? Maybe they have been just too far away to notice. Still, I feel like I should have known of four giants travelling the woods.

"We are the guardian deities of Termina." They sand together.

"Termina?" It wasn't a name I had heard before.

"Yes, it is where we are from."

"What do you do there?"

"We help the people of Termina live in peace." The giants sang. "People come from all over to live in Termina and because of that, there used to be disorder. People used to fight all the time and argue over who was the authoritative figure. Hearing their cries of agony, we came to them.

"When we did, at first they were terrified, but then as they saw our gentle nature they trusted us. We told them that as long as they keep their peace, we can live in harmony together. If they could not live together and their cries of agony disturbed us, we told them we would ruin their world. As harsh as it sounds, when a world is distraught, it is not really a world and starting anew would be the solution. There will come a time when we can walk away from Termina and watch in silence, guarding over our lands, but for now we will remain in our full form."

"And they just … listen?" It seemed so bizarre to me.

"Do you want to upset a giant?" One said to me and I chuckled – I guess they are right.

"What if it is just fear keeping them together?" I said. "What if after you left, they returned to tearing each other's throat out? Then what?"

"Then we rise and show them the consequences of their action." The giants said. It made sense, I guess. To have a new world guarded by giants until the residences can learn to live in harmony. Most lands have gods and those gods had to decide when it was time for them to leave and watch from beyond. I guess this is no different.

"Where is Termina?" We had been, or at least I had been, walking for hours – the giants took small steps here and there to stay beside me. With all of the walking, I expected to run into this Termina by now, especially if the Giants claim many people live there – it can't just appear out of thin air, can it?

"For that, you have to open your eyes and see." The giants said as they raised their arms and pointed ahead of me. Confused, I looked forward and saw a small clearing. I walked over to it.

The tree were larger than I had ever seen before and most of them were chopped down to only stumps. To cut was so clean, someone had to have cut the trees down their selves – but who? The giants? Either way, it's not important. Shaking it off, I looked ahead.

Carved out of the trunk of a tree was a hole. Staring at it, amazed, I turned back to the Giants. They said nothing and watched my reaction. Shutting my mouth and swallowing, I moved towards the tree.

"In there?" I said in a monotone, not looking behind me.

"There." I heard them chant behind me.


End file.
